On the Move
Aspen Hotels names Wright as Juneau GM; Habeger joins Royal Caribbean Cruises; Abel elected president of WBMA

Jensen's, Lyle's now one store
The Jensen family, which until mid-November operated two of Juneau's largest furniture stores, is now the owner of one home-furnishing superstore in the Mendenhall Valley.
The former Jensen's Home Furnishings, which had been in the Nugget Mall, and Lyle's Home Furnishings opened as one store called Jensen's and Lyle's Home Furnishings on Nov. 24. The store is in the Lyle's site on Jordan Avenue.

Learning without the risk
Håkon Såtvedt, a pilot for Coastal Helicopters, ran into some trouble during a flight Tuesday afternoon. He was struggling with engine failure, low fuel, and extremely rough conditions, and couldn't hold the machine steady enough to land.
"Oooh ... oh, he's done for," said John Garrard, a Coastal pilot who was monitoring Såtvedt's flight. When Såtvedt crashed nose-first into the ground, though, he walked away unscathed, leaving no broken machinery or burning ruins.

Road resources
Do you know what it takes to build a car? I do. Two-thousand, two-hundred, forty-five pounds of iron and steel (4,960 pounds of iron ore), 45 pounds of copper (2,600 pounds of copper ore), 140 pounds of aluminum.

Bush's 'loopy logic'
The president continues to subjugate truth to his mission of preparing us for an immoral, unnecessary and illegal first strike against Iraq.

Steering our ship
Hindsight is always 20-20. As a property owner who the Juneau Assembly has asked to fund harbor and utility projects because the $15 million general obligation bond package was approved by the voters in October, I have some observations that my recently earned 20-20 hindsight is prompting me to share.

Through the fog
A few weeks back, I saw several hook-and-ladders at the airport, shooting hundreds of gallons of water into the air. At the time, I had no idea whether it was an actual fire or a Homeland Security drill or what, but I have since received classified information that is my duty to share with you.

Both sides love Alaska
On Tuesday, KTOO TV presented a Sierra Club-funded film on Wilderness Society founder and John Denver fan Mardy Murie. Afterward, all I could think was: what an incredible display of unbelievable, in-your-face arrogance.

JPD seeks help in inquiry into sex-abuse claims against priest
The Juneau Police Department on Thursday appealed for the public's help with the investigation of sexual abuse allegations against a local Catholic priest.
"This is not us out trying to get Mr. Nash," police investigator Kris Sell said in reference to the Rev. Michael Nash. "But in order to get to the truth, whatever that is, we will need the public's help."

Photo: Perched in the fog
A mature bald eagle perches on a limb in front of the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Wednesday. Michael Penn / Juneau Empire

Maj. Gamble offers service with a smile
Although his camouflaged uniform and the maps and computers that fill his Juneau office suggest the seriousness of his job, Maj. Fred Gamble of the Alaska Army National Guard has a relaxed, cheerful air about him.
"My mother always told me to smile, or people will think I'm up to something," he said, a grin stretched across his face.

State signs contract for Metlakatla ferry
A new state ferry that will provide more service between Metlakatla and Ketchikan is under construction.
The Alaska Marine Highway System last month signed a contract with Conrad Industries of Morgan City, La., to build a 181-foot ferry. The ship will be able to move 149 passengers and 18 vehicles between the two island communities at an operating speed of 12 to 14 knots, according to the ferry system.

Photo: First chance for hockey
Marc Scholten plays hockey Thursday near Skaters Cabin on Mendenhall Lake. Scholten and a few other hockey enthusiasts took to the ice for the first time this winter.

This Day in History
In 1905, Roald Amundsen, en route through the Northwest Passage, reached Eagle from Herschel Island. He left his ship, the Gjoa, in frozen ice and sledded to Eagle to telegraph his crossing.

Kids learn the art of hunting, survival
Paul Hamby waved a set of polypropylene long underwear in front of a classroom of sixth-graders Thursday at Floyd Dryden Middle School.
"Guys, I want you to say it with me, 'hy-po-ther-mia,' " said Hamby, a firefighter and emergency medical technician.
"Hy-po-ther-mia," the class sang back.

Fog foils fliers again
Louise Earnest sat on the floor next to three empty children's car seats this morning near the Alaska Airlines desk at Juneau Airport. Looking like she had been at the airport for hours, which she had, she talked about her family's planned trip to Washington and Oregon.
The vacation was supposed to start Tuesday evening but has been delayed by fog. More than 80 percent of Alaska Airlines' flights into and out of Juneau since Monday have been canceled, said Jack Walsh, spokesman for the airline.

Photo: Teddy turns 100
Mimi Walker's class at Riverbend Elementary School celebrated 100 years of teddy bears in November. Students brought bears from home and made name tags for them.

Advent challenges us to worship and pray
We have begun the season of Advent. It means "to come." It encompasses the four Sundays prior to Christmas. It is an invitation to prepare for the coming of God into the world in the Babe of Bethlehem. The prophets of old foretold His coming. Wisemen following the stars were led to the stable.

Library honors
Denise Weltin, an eighth-grader at Alyeska Central, was a winner in the 2002 Children's Book Week Bookmark Contest sponsored by the Juneau Public Libraries.

Irvin William Fleek
Former Douglas resident Irvin William Fleek, 85, died in his home in Walla Walla, Wash., on Nov. 15, 2002.

Home, the center of all living
I was saddened and alarmed by the recent articles in the Empire about the problems with drugs in Juneau.
A long time ago one of our children barged into the house after school. "Hi mom. I'm home."
But mom wasn't there. Instead she was hanging clothes in the back yard to dry in the spring breeze. When she came into the house she found a weeping lad sitting on the front porch.

Alaska editorial: A little foggy in Juneau
Those people who supported a proposal to move legislative meetings to the Mat-Su, only to see the plan defeated in last month's election, probably are enjoying something of a last laugh.

State Wrestling Rankings
Here are the state's top-five wrestlers in each weight class for the Class 4A and the Class 1A-2A-3A seasons as ranked by the Web site, http://www.alaskawrestling.com, which is run by Palmer's Eric Wade.

Cavs finally win
CLEVELAND - It was "Rookie Night" for the Cavs last night at Gund Arena and the youngsters came through like veterans.
First-year players Dajuan Wagner and Carlos Boozer had a big hand in the Cavs' 111-101 win against the Chicago Bulls. The victory snapped a 15-game losing streak for the Cavs (3-17).
The Cavs set single-season highs in points and points in a half. They led 60-45 at halftime.

Juneau wrestlers ready to renew some old rivalries
It's been nearly three years since Juneau-Douglas High School wrestlers last faced opponents from the Class 4A Anchorage schools.
The Crimson Bears will renew those rivalries starting today, as the team begins a long weekend of competition with a four-team meet at Dimond High School, which will also include Skyview and Service.

Juneau wrestlers split with Dimond, Service
The Juneau-Douglas High School wrestling team fared well Thursday evening in its first meet against large Anchorage schools in nearly three years.
Despite forfeiting in two weight classes - which gave their opponents an extra 12 points from the start - the Crimson Bears defeated host Dimond 36-33 and lost to Service by just six points, 37-31.

Permanent fund market losses reach their peak
The permanent fund posted a 7.3 percent quarterly loss in September, the largest three-month decline in its 26-year history, said a report by the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.
Sharp drops in domestic and international stocks - which account for less than half the $23.1 billion fund - were partly offset by gains in the bond market, the quarterly report showed.

Nikiski teen saves sister, 4, from drowning
KENAI - When a friend told Jean Mapes that the family's dog had fallen into Thetis Lake about 50 yards from her home, she sent her son to pull the animal out of the shallow water.
But as Mapes watched from a window, 13-year-old Christopher ignored the dog and instead lifted a pink bundle from the water - his 4-year-old sister Olivia, dressed in her pink raincoat.

SE committee picks next intertie links
Power lines connecting Juneau to Hoonah and Petersburg to Kake are next on the list of priorities for regional leaders trying to offer cheaper electricity.
The Southeast Conference's intertie committee last month scheduled the connections for more study. The organization represents business and municipal interests; its committee is charged with creating a regional electric intertie.

Scientists say fishing is not the main cause of sea lion decline
ANCHORAGE - Scientists asked by Congress to find out why the Steller sea lion population has plummeted in Alaska have concluded commercial fishing probably is not the main culprit.
The conclusion presented Wednesday to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council differs from that reached in November 2000 by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which said Alaska's $1 billion groundfish fishery was a threat to the survival of Steller sea lions competing for food.

Man found guilty in pipeline shooting
FAIRBANKS - A Fairbanks jury said today that Daniel Lewis is guilty of all five counts against him in last year's shooting of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
Jurors deliberated for almost six hours Thursday and announced just after the Rabinowitz Courthouse closed for the day that they reached a decision and would announce it this morning.

Senate GOP announces committee leaders
The state Senate majority announced committee leadership assignments Wednesday, picking Mat-Su Sen. Lyda Green and Fairbanks Sen. Gary Wilken to co-chair the powerful Senate Finance Committee.
Wilken will oversee the capital budget and the flow of legislation through the committee, and Green will coordinate the state's operating budget.

Woman rejects plea bargain in wolf-hybrid case
ANCHORAGE - The first person to be charged under a new law banning the advertisement of wolf hybrids for sale is fighting the state in court.
JoGenia Sexton placed newspaper ads for wolf dogs in August. She was to be arraigned in District Court on Wednesday. Just before the hearing began, special prosecutor Jack Schmidt presented her with an offer to accept a reduced fine of $200.

Is Fred Astaire REALLY Eminem's father?
Yo! Eminem, The Movie, is in town. You can tell by the clots of steaming 14-year-olds leaving the theater seconds after they went in, looking, they had hoped, mature enough to reach up with their $8.75 and score a ticket.
The movie is titled "8 Mile," actually, and, though rated "R" (hence the ejection and outraged humiliation of the adolescents), it's about family values - as seen through the eyes of a (mentally) 14-year-old boy whose primary form of expression is the extended whine.

Holiday cards with ornaments
JUNEAU - Instructor Noelle Dersé will teach a class in making holiday ornament cards from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum. The cards will include a two-dimensional ornament that decorates the card and also becomes a holiday gift.

Bayou diva
Marcia Ball rolls blues, Cajun and rock and roll into one rollicking style. Linda Windeborn of Juneau saw Ball at the New Orleans music festival Jazzfest a few years ago, and she's been singing her praises ever since.
"She's electric," she said. "She's not just tapping her foot as she's playing piano - she's bouncing her whole leg. It amazed me how rubberlike her legs were. She's the center of the music. She is the music."

Art in abundance
Art featured in Gallery Walk this weekend ranges from classic paintings by Alaska master Sydney Laurence to new works by contemporary artists.
More than two dozen Juneau galleries and stores will host receptions Friday evening and display artwork. Most open at 4 and all are open by 4:30 p.m. Friday, and will be open throughout the weekend as well.

Best Bets: Classic play to clowns, Marcia Ball to 'Amahl'
Gallery Walk offers the opportunity to take in a wealth of artwork this weekend. There's also some fine dynamic live entertainment to complement the fine art.
After hitting the galleries Friday night, head to Centennial Hall for some dancing and great upbeat music with Marcia Ball and her band.

Amahl's night of adventure
A funny thing happened on the way to Bethlehem. The three wise men encounter mischief, music and a miracle when they stop at the home of a young shepherd and his mother. "Amahl and the Night Visitors," Gian Carlo Menotti's one-act opera-in-miniature tells the story of the young shepherd, Amahl, and his encounter with the Magi one night as they follow their star to the famous stable.
Juneau Lyric Opera presents six performances of "Amahl and the Night Visitors" during the coming two weeks. The 50-minute musical production opens Friday, Dec. 6, at McPhetres Hall. The story is told entirely through music and song, and the opera, in English, has no spoken lines.

Air Force Band holiday concert
Top Cover, a traveling group of musicians from the Air Force Band of the Pacific, will perform a free "Home for the Holidays" concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, at Centennial Hall.